News

More than 30 people came together at Richmond Villages Witney's first Parkinson's Café last month, and the village is now inviting the community back for its next session on Wednesday, 21 October.

Open to all, the café welcomes people living with Parkinson's, their families and friends. It offers a relaxed opportunity to enjoy a cuppa, meet others and share views. A member of Parkinson's UK staff will be there to answer questions and share resources.

The café launched after Richmond Villages Witney approached Parkinson's UK about hosting a talk; the charity suggested the village as a venue for a monthly café, giving people living with Parkinson's in the West Witney area a place to meet socially and share views.

Talking about its success, Jo Cambrey, Head of Lifestyle & Wellbeing at Richmond Villages Witney, commented: “We were pleased to welcome more than 30 people to our first café. Our residents told us they really enjoyed chatting with everyone, and we hope the café will be a relaxed and welcoming place for people living with Parkinson's to socialise together.”

According to Parkinson’s UK, someone is diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the UK every 20 minutes and by 2050, the number of people living with the condition worldwide will double to 25 million.

Katy Slade, Area Development Manager from Parkinson’s UK added: “Being diagnosed with Parkinson’s can be a shock and adapting to life with the condition can be hard for the person involved and their loved ones too. But we know that getting the right information and support at the right time can make all the difference.  

“That’s why we’re proud to be able to offer this opportunity to people in and around Witney who are living with Parkinson’s and look forward to welcoming people to this very special café. Thank you to Richmond Villages Witney for joining with us and hosting this café.

“It is vital that we can support everyone affected by Parkinson’s, so that together, we can move towards everyone with the condition feeling empowered to take back control of their life with Parkinson’s.”

The Parkinson's Café takes place on the third Wednesday of each month, from 2:30pm to 4pm, at Richmond Villages Witney, Coral Springs Way, Witney, OX28 5CG.